U.S. patent application number 11/123512 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-27 for apparatus providing improvement in the longevity of reed valves.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hodyon LP. Invention is credited to Fritz Eilenberger, John Hancock.
Application Number | 20060165537 11/123512 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36696932 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060165537 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hancock; John ; et
al. |
July 27, 2006 |
Apparatus providing improvement in the longevity of reed valves
Abstract
An apparatus for increasing the longevity of reed valves.
Machines such as automotive air conditioning compressors operate
with a centrally-located rotating shaft that requires lubricant
seals. Assembly of such machines with access for installation of
one or more shaft seals commonly dictates an annular cavity between
the shaft outer diameter and the housing inner diameter. For reed
valves radially deployed around the shaft, the result is an anchor
point that, coupled with the commercial need for minimum overall
machine diameter, restricts the allowable length of the valve
reeds. A cylindrical insert that fits in the annular cavity
provides for an anchor point close to the shaft, and a clamping
device that anchors the reed to a retainer and its valve plate
permits the use of longer reeds that offer enhanced life.
Inventors: |
Hancock; John; (Abilene,
TX) ; Eilenberger; Fritz; (Canton, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David Allen Hall
P.O. Box 1540
Blanco
TX
78606-1540
US
|
Assignee: |
Hodyon LP
|
Family ID: |
36696932 |
Appl. No.: |
11/123512 |
Filed: |
May 6, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60646825 |
Jan 25, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/269 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 27/1036
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/269 |
International
Class: |
F04B 27/08 20060101
F04B027/08 |
Claims
1. A machine comprising: a housing; within said housing a component
around which one or more reed valves are radially deployed; and a
first apparatus deployed between the perimeter of said component
and the inside surface of said housing, said first apparatus
providing for the reed of said reed valve an anchor point
substantially adjacent to said perimeter of said component, said
anchor point providing for said reed a greater length than would be
achievable in the absence of said fist apparatus.
2. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said component is a shaft.
3. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said machine is a
compressor.
4. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said machine is an internal
combustion engine.
5. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said machine is a pump.
6. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said machine is a turbine.
7. In a reed valve partially comprised of a reed having a free end
and an anchored end, a second apparatus capable of clamping said
anchored end of said reed to a third apparatus capable of limiting
displacement of said free end of said reed.
8. A second apparatus as in claim 7 further capable of clamping
said anchored end of said reed to a valve plate.
9. A machine embodying said second apparatus of claim 7.
10. A machine embodying said first apparatus of claim 1 and said
second apparatus of claim 7.
Description
[0001] This patent claims priority from and incorporates by
reference the provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No.
60/646825, filed Jan. 25, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of valves, more
specifically to the field of reed valves. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,454,545
B1 (Ikeda, 2002), 6,231,315 B1 (Ikeda, 2001), 5,454,397 (Miszczak,
1995), 5,355,910 (Gies, 1994), 5,226,796 (Okamoto, 1993), 5,186,475
(Kawai, 1993), 4,714,416 (Sano, 1987), 4,696,263 (Boyesen, 1987),
4,580,604 (Kawaguchi, 1986), 3,994,319 (Airhart, 1976), 3,983,900
(Airhart, 1976), 3,939,876 (Lundvik, 1976), 2,906,281 (Pillote,
1959), 2,881,795 (Waldenmaier, 1959), 2,864,394 (Hempel, 1958), and
2,476,320 (Paulus, 1949) disclose various valves comprising various
cantilever or reed components. None of the cited patents disclose
or claim the apparatus of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The structure and operation of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment and upon reference to the accompanying
drawings in which like details are labeled with like identification
numbers throughout. The drawings do not conform to a consistent
scale.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an air-conditioning
compressor in which the preferred embodiment of the present
invention bulkhead insert and reed stabilizer are installed.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the front bulkhead of a
state-of-the-art air-conditioning compressor that does not embody
the present invention.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the front bulkhead of
the compressor of FIG. 1 in which the preferred embodiment of the
present invention bulkhead insert and reed stabilizer are
installed.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment
of the present invention bulkhead insert.
[0008] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the cantilever portions of a
reed valve, its integrated annular support structure, and two
integrated tabs with alignment holes. The entire FIG. 5 structure
is herein referred to as a "reed."
[0009] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a reed retainer.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of one of the curved radial arms
of a reed retainer.
[0011] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a gasket.
[0012] FIG. 9 is a plan view of a valve plate.
[0013] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a suction reed.
[0014] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a cylinder block
assembly.
[0015] FIG. 12 is a plan view of a shaft.
[0016] FIG. 13 is an isometric view of a shaft, two valve plates, a
gasket, a suction reed, a discharge reed, a discharge reed
retainer, a piston, four alignment pins, and the preferred
embodiment of the present invention bulkhead insert.
[0017] FIG. 14 is a rotated view of FIG. 13.
[0018] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a reed stabilizer.
[0019] FIG. 16 is a large-scale view of the front bulkhead area of
FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] The inventors present herein the best mode for carrying out
the present invention in terms of its preferred embodiment,
depicted within the aforementioned drawings. Herein, the preferred
embodiment of the present invention will be considered to have a
front end and a rear end. The end of the preferred embodiment where
splined end 25 of shaft 12 in FIGS. 1 and 12 protrudes from front
bulkhead 2 will be referred to as the "front," and the opposite end
will be referred to as the "rear." "Outboard" herein refers to the
direction radially outward from the longitudinal axis of shaft
12.
[0021] A reed valve is a valve having a cantilever that is
anchored, pinned, clamped, or otherwise held at one end, with the
opposite end free to undergo displacement in the process of opening
and closing a port or ports that provide ingress or egress of
gases, fluids, and substances that have some fluidic
characteristics including, but not limited to, grain, sand, and
pellets. As is common in the many industries that employ valves,
"reed" is used herein to denote the cantilever portion of a reed
valve. Although it can be used in any application calling for a
reed valve, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is
incorporated in an air-conditioning compressor commonly understood
in the automotive industry.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows cylinder blocks 1 assembled between front
bulkhead 2 and rear bulkhead 3 of an automotive compressor 100.
Within the interior cavities of cylinder blocks 1 are at least one
piston 10 and a swash plate 9. A drive belt, chain, gear, or other
transfer means transfers automotive engine energy to splined end 25
(see FIG. 12) of shaft 12, and shaft 12 in turn imparts rotational
motion to a swash plate 9 that is attached to shaft 12. Motion of
swash plate 9 converts rotary motion of shaft 12 into linear
reciprocating motion of piston 10.
[0023] That reciprocating motion of piston 10 in a cylinder
provides the refrigerant compression required in a cooling system.
A cooling cycle includes stages of compression and expansion of a
refrigerant gas. At the end of a compression stage, the pressure of
the compressed gas forces valves to open, thus providing routes by
which the gas can escape the compression chambers and proceed to
the expansion part of the system where the desired cooling is
achieved. The cantilever portion of a valve that provides for such
gas transfer is called a discharge reed. Front discharge reed 7 and
rear discharge reed 26 can be seen in FIG. 1. Front discharge reed
7 and rear discharge reed 26 are free to bend as far as front and
rear reed retainers 8 and 24, respectively, permit.
[0024] FIGS. 2 and 3 show, respectively, a portion of a prior art
air-conditioning compressor, and a like portion of a compressor
equipped with the present invention. FIG. 2 shows that the prior
art anchor point of reed 14 is a distance (D1)/2 from the
centerline of shaft 12. FIG. 3 shows that the anchor point of the
present invention discharge reed 7 is a shorter distance (D2)/2
from the shaft centerline. The result is a present invention reed
of length R2 (FIG. 3) greater than the prior art reed length R1
(FIG. 2). Because the bending stress imposed on a flexed cantilever
is inversely proportional to the cantilever length, longevity of
discharge reed 7 will be greater than that of reed 14 for the same
displacement, cross-section, and material. MARKS' STANDARD HANDBOOK
FOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERS 5-24 (Theodore Baumeister ed., McGraw-Hill
8th ed. 1978).
[0025] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 16, insert 13 is the present
invention that provides for the increased length of discharge reed
7. After shaft seal 11 is pressed into front bulkhead 2, O-ring 19
and insert 13 are pressed into front bulkhead 2. A sealant may be
used to enhance the sealing capability of seal 11 and/or insert 13.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 16, O-ring 15 is then fitted into
circumferential cavity 27 in insert 13.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 16, front discharge reed 7 is placed
concentrically on top of the surface of front valve plate 4 marked
with the letter "F" (to denote "front"; see FIG. 9), and front
discharge reed retainer 8 is placed on top of front discharge reed
7 so that reed and reed retainer alignment holes 28 and 29,
respectively, align with the two alignment holes in front valve
plate 4. As shown in FIG. 16, the small diameter rear end D3 of
reed stabilizer 17 (see FIG. 15) is slip-fitted into the concentric
inner holes in reed retainer 8, reed 7, and front valve plate 4,
and then crimped. This riveting process creates a subassembly
consisting of front reed retainer 8, front reed 7, front valve
plate 4, and reed stabilizer 17.
[0027] Next, front gasket 5, shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, is installed
on the side of front valve plate 4 marked with the letter "F,"
shown in FIGS. 1, 9, 13, and 14, so that front gasket 5 and front
valve plate 4 are concentric, and holes 32 in gasket 5 align with
holes 31 in valve plate 4. The subassembly consisting of front reed
retainer 8, front reed 7, front valve plate 4, and reed stabilizer
17 is then installed so that gasket 5 is against front bulkhead 2,
stabilizer 17 is against O-ring 15, and gasket holes 32 and valve
plate holes 31 align with pins 34 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) pressed
into alignment holes (not shown) in front bulkhead 2. A second set
of pins (not shown) penetrates holes 28 and 29 in front discharge
reed 7 and front reed retainer 8, respectively, and the mating
alignment holes in front valve plate 4. Front suction reed 20,
shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, is then concentrically installed against
valve plate 4 using pins 34 and holes 33 for alignment.
[0028] Front suction reed 20, shown in FIG. 10, in the described
compressor featuring the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, is a thin, flat, spring steel stamping partially
comprising five integral lollipop shaped suction reeds 6 (see FIG.
10) that each open to admit uncompressed refrigerant gas into a
compression chamber as the piston in that chamber moves away from
top dead center. Like the discharge reeds, the suction reeds are
cantilevers, but in the described compressor design they are
subjected to significantly less bending stress than are the
discharge reeds. The present invention is not employed in the
design of the suction reeds of the described compressor, but could
be employed in a design in which suction reed valves are radially
deployed around a shaft or some other central feature of a
machine.
[0029] FIG. 11 shows cylinder block assembly 300, which includes
shaft 12, swash plate 9, piston 10, thrust washer and bearing
assemblies 18 for swash plate retention, shaft needle bearings 16,
and cylinder blocks 1. O-rings (not shown) are fitted in
circumferential grooves 36 and 37 in the front and rear faces,
respectively, of cylinder blocks 1. Cylinder block assembly 300 is
installed concentrically with front bulkhead 2 and against front
valve plate 4 so that splined end 25 of shaft 12 protrudes through
the center holes of front valve plate 4, gasket 5, front discharge
reed 7, front reed retainer 8, insert 13, shaft seal 11, and front
bulkhead 2.
[0030] Rear suction reed 21 (see FIG. 1), a duplicate of front
suction reed 20, is then installed on the front side of rear valve
plate 22, and is aligned with pins 35 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.
Rear valve plate 22 is installed against the O-ring in groove 37 of
the rear face of cylinder block assembly 300. Rear discharge reed
26, a duplicate of front discharge reed 7, is installed against
rear valve plate 22. Rear reed retainer 24, a duplicate of front
reed retainer 8, is then installed over shaft 12 and against rear
discharge reed 26.
[0031] Utilizing receiver 19 (see FIG. 13), rear reed retainer 24
and rear discharge reed 26 are secured to rear valve plate 22.
Gasket 23, the mirror image of gasket 5 (see FIG. 1) is
concentrically installed on the rear side of rear valve plate 22,
which is marked with the letter "R" (not shown). Finally, rear
bulkhead 3 is installed over shaft 12 and bolted to cylinder block
assembly 300 and front bulkhead 2 with bolts 30.
[0032] In the described compressor featuring the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, many variations are feasible.
The O-rings such as O-rings 15 and 19 in FIG. 16 could be gaskets.
In the preferred embodiment, discharge reeds 7 and 26 are shaped
like flowers with petals, but they could have the shape of a star,
or any other shape resembling a disc with radiating arms, and they
could be constructed of materials other than metal. Reed retainers
8 and 24 could also be shaped like a star, or any other disc having
radiating arms. Reed retainers 8 and 24 could also be simple discs.
Insert 13, front discharge reed 7, and front reed retainer 8 are
not required to be separate pieces, and their compositions are not
limited to any particular material. In a tradeoff between parts
count and total compressor weight, reed stabilizer 17 could be
eliminated with a more substantial bulkhead. The present invention
is not limited to use in compressors; it can also be incorporated
in any number of machines that require valves situated around the
circumference of a shaft.
[0033] It will be apparent to those with ordinary skill in the
relevant art having the benefit of this disclosure that the present
invention provides an apparatus for improving the longevity of
prior art reed valves by decreasing the bending stress on the reeds
of such valves during operation. It is understood that the forms of
the invention shown and described in the detailed description and
the drawings are to be taken merely as currently preferred
examples, and that the invention is limited only by the language of
the claims. The drawings and detailed description presented herein
are not intended to limit the invention to the particular
embodiments disclosed. While the present invention has been
described in terms of one preferred embodiment, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that form and detail modifications can
be made to the described embodiment without departing from the
spirit or scope of the invention.
* * * * *